Blues Notes
by Aiko Isari
Summary: Teen father Nikolai, now an adult, with his daughter wasting away from the rare illness known as Reversal Fever, decides to take one last Pokemon journey. He will take her to find the Azure Flute, as her final, wonderful memory before their last attempts at a cure. Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds, in the world he never wanted much to do with.
1. Chapter 1

_Warnings: Vomiting, past teenage pregnancy, fantasy disease, allergies_

* * *

Chapter One - A Kind of Hero

At the end of their adolescence, most Pokemon trainers were collecting winnings and finding to their surprise that they had to find real job or risk being broke, or worse, _boredom._

Nikolai Darius had to worry about neither. Instead, he was holding his little girl's full, dark hair up as she threw up in the toilet. Not that it bothered him much anymore. She had made it to the toilet this time.

"No more soft-shelled krabby for you," he told her, relief welling up in his own stomach. It wasn't the fever, it wasn't the Giratina Shroud coming to take her so soon. It was just an allergy. Noelani looked at him with pitiful, watery blue eyes, just like his, before giving one last heave into the bowl. When they were sure it was done, he helped her wipe her own face with shaking hands.

He picked her up when it was over and let her tremble weakly in his arms. Bile warred in his throat with the horrible urge to cry. Instead, he smoothed her hair and murmured as his mother and father had done for him, even in times they should not have, the gentle folk they were.

Her breathing and shaking slowed after a while both as he walked and rocked her. He was well-practiced at this by now, well-practiced at taking care of things. He even liked it now, so long as it was for her.

Nikolai glanced her over, seeing the peace in the little girl's face. The desire to let her sleep in his arms warred with the soreness in them. He compensated by sitting down to rest her head on his lap instead. She barely stirred.

Then, after a few moments of dread, he dialed the top number in his contacts.

Blonde hair and grey eyes appear first, glowing with some emotion that Nikolai is incapable of recognizing no matter what emotional state he is in. He estimated it was surprise or relief. Maybe it was joy. Alas, he had no idea.

The screen fizzled out a moment, his Holo-Caster two models too old and him too busy to simply get a new one. Then she returned, a quickly formed smile on her face. "Lo, Lai-Lai."

If anyone heard that slow, peacefully relaxed speech from the Grand Dame of Sinnoh, they would have blanched and been disgusted promptly in turn. However, this was not anyone.

"Lo, Cyn," he said back, shoulders hunching up by reflex. "You can't let her have shellfish."

Her face wrinkled into a frown. "Oh dear. And she'd been eyeing my grandmother's shellder stew recipe too. You're sure it's not the Shroud?"

"Shroud doesn't make you puke." He brushed her shock of white hair with shaking, chalky fingers. "Just makes you still, stone, weak, coughing. You showed me yourself."

"That I did." She settled deeper into her plush chair. "It's progressing a little fast, don't you think? It's possible the treatments I suggested were-"

"'S not your fault." Nikolai hunched his shoulders, his consolation meek and easy to dismiss. "We're gonna try one more. In September. If not…"

If not, his baby girl was going to die. That was all there was to it.

"... Is there anything I can do?"

Nikolai ran his fingers through his hair. "We'll need a temporary Coronet pass for her."

"You're with her," Cynthia pointed out. "Grandmother grants your family endless passage and research." When Nikolai didn't answer, her eyes widened beneath her eyeliner. "It's been _four years,_ Nikolai."

"I told them!" He defended, watching Noelani twitch in her sleep. He lowered his voice. "They're fine with it. It's everyone else! It's… It's me, okay? I'm not you!"

Cynthia tried to contain her smile, placation in the upturn of her hands. "I know. And we're better for it."

His white hair, which had been slowly puffing up like it had a mind of its own, began to wilt down to its normal mess. "You would say that."

"I do." She chewed her lip. "Why do you _really_ want the pass, Nikolai?"

He didn't want to play mind games with her. Strangers were fine but this was, she was, different. "The Flute."

She made a face. "None of us have found it. _Dawn_ hasn't found it. What makes you think you can?"

"I don't think I can." He smiled and it made his lips hurt. "I think _she_ can."

Maybe their daughter could summon Arceus. After all, hadn't he done just as odd of things during his journey?

* * *

Team Galactic, for all their scientific posturing, had been a cult, Nikolai knew cults. There was always one or two legendary cults in every generation. As far as he knew, even the obsession was familiar with patterns of history.

The problematic thing though, was that all these legendary maniacs were _succeeding_.

The dog-eared pages and pages of scripture, of translated warnings that had gone ignored. Many of those who had tried had failed. Was it because their ideals weren't strong enough? Because science outdid magic? Or was the world in a state that didn't need such monsters at the commands of petty wishes?

He wasn't able to say for sure, but he did get a general idea. After all, legends were at their end point, out of control. They bent their knee out of curiosity and due to technology. It was very rare that one of them actually liked you. FIckle things.

But the last champion in the past six years had had a Legendary, a triad, at that, call to her for aid. And then Dawn, being the prime example of a stupid ten-year-old, had mucked it all up.

Not that he could really blame her in its entirety. Cynthia and Rowan had filled her head with adventure.

Still. She and Cynthia were the fools who had left Sendoff Spring open for anything to come in and come out and without Giratina to keep it all where it belonged, something had.

The Shroud, or Reversal Flu, was the most technical term. It seemed more like the flu, but the word fever passed around much like one. All the familiar flu symptoms, except they came and went like a machine until it simply did not leave. He had seen the images. It was killing his baby girl. Admittedly she was not a girl he had meant to have but that didn't mean she deserved this. People didn't deserve this kind of pain.

He wasn't a medical professional of any kind, however. All he knew was what he saw and what he heard.

Nikolai swallowed as he tucked her into bed again, so close to his own. Then he sat back against his bed.

"All right, Rune," he said to himself. "Back to work."

He propped open another book, and off to work he went.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _And there. The first few chapters have been done for a while, so I've decided to go ahead and start posting. Welcome to a somewhat short family focused fic. (By short I mean 60k) So please enjoy father and daughter on their adventures!

Challenges: Epic Masterclass (gen) 5. alternate timeline, Three Sided Box, Epic Big Bang (PFC), Mega Prompts Writing Prompt 187.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - A Friend Who Was Promised

A long time ago, Tohjo went to war.

Well, everyone acted like it was a long time ago. Nikolai had been two when it had started to taper off. It hadn't really ended for another five years. By that time, the culture of the League had been integrated, in memory of the young children who had gone to battle and had died before adulthood. Henceforth, children were sent out for real at ten by the schools, eleven if governing bodies decided it, and only any older if the families kept up a fuss. This had spread to most, if not all regions in some form or another. Except for one in particular, but you wouldn't find Nikolai there unless he was dead.

 _Screw Hoenn._

Nikolai, Nikolae, officially, had gone at twelve. But the Darius were wanderers in origin or had been. He had no hometown. He had no birth certificate. Noelani did, Her mother would have had a fit if she hadn't. He looked over at his daughter as she busied herself with her food, looking for all the world like she hadn't vomited the night before. He couldn't help but envy her that.

You could start younger, there were 'School Kid' and "Youngster' classes for that very purpose. It just wasn't particularly _smart._

But then, most pokemon trainers weren't smart. That was why they had to make schools so less of them died on the way down. Did that work? Theoretically, he assumed or most of them wouldn't be in business. Wouldn't have the entirety of Kalos attempting to be easy mode (which they actually weren't, whoever went all the way into the fairy trees never came out the same) if it wasn't working on some deluded level.

Nikolai was certain that if this didn't work, his Noel wouldn't be a trainer at all, ever. And call him culturally brainwashed like the rest of society, but that just sounded like a mistake. A life where she wasted away with someone else's pokemon -not even her own!- with no taste of adventure and delight. They hadn't been his cup of tea, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it.

"We'll be going to see the professor today," he said as she finally gave up on attempting to like the red hell seeds called cheri tamatos. "We're going to get you registered."

"'M not ten." Noelani looked thoroughly disgruntled at the concept. "'M seven, daddy. Gotta learn countin'."

 _I haven't stopped counting when it comes to you._ ""Your dad's never been great at mathematics and numbers, but we're going anyway. Got a special pass for you."

"For the trip?" She looked at him with her big, bright eyes. Full of curiosity and wonder and he could imagine every foot waiting to squash them like bugs.

But he only smiled and nodded. "Yeah. We're going to get you a friend."

He felt her joy from the other side of the room and the pain stabbing into his chest was worth it, so worth it.

* * *

In Sandgem, there were two things you could count on being interesting: the professor and his lab, and the route to Pal Park. The existence of Pal Park made him nauseous. Too many camper children in ugly green hats and their level seven bidoof for his taste.

So, obviously, their destination was the professor's lab.

They arrived in the usual bedlam and chaos. Old Rowan was finally going through the final stages of retirement, which meant altering (and finally) upgrading their systems to match that of Alola and Kalos. The National Pokedex had simply been too much of a toll on these old mechanics without a Cloud system to regulate all the new information. For whatever reason, Rowan had been against doing so. Possibly because of this eventually required system overhaul. In any case, they weren't here for that.

Noelani trembled at the sight of the great, sliding doors, the shakes likely mostly from nerves. He made sure to have her exercise once a day to sweat, to delay. So it was unlikely that they were from exhaustion. But this was anxiety up to eleven. Most trainers did not get a starter before the turned ten for a _reason_.

He squeezed her hand gently. "C'mon girl, it's gonna be fine. They'll love you." Because they were bred to love a human, if not the one that first chose them. He wouldn't say that, heck, he wouldn't be surprised if Cynthia had told her that already. Still, she straightened up and nodded. They walked inside together to absolute bedlam.

Papers were everywhere, scanners and other machines spewing more as assistants ran about trying to fix it and bring some semblance of order to the room. In the middle sat Lucas Diamond, folding more pieces and crumpling others. His grey hair had become a mess of curls and apparently scraps of shredded paper

Nikolai cleared his throat. The young man immediately looked up and smiled. "Mr. Darius."

"No formalities, Professor," Nikolai replied with a polite dip of his head. "I don't have a fancy title, just a couple quick degrees and some tools. You're not that much younger than me."

"True." Lucas rose from his chair. "Still, you are noteworthy. But you're not the heroine of the hour. This must be Noelani with you, yes?"

He looked right at her, which miraculously, Noelani looked right back. "Yes, sir."

Lucas smiled a bit wider. "I'm going to guess your mother taught you the 'sir' part."

Noelani made a face. "Daddy did!" Righteous indignation sparkled in her eyes and Nikolai bit back a laugh.

"He's kidding, Lani. I'm the last person you need to learn manners from." He leaned to whisper. "I'm actually very bad at them."

His daughter giggled, seemingly appeased. Lucas chuckled and straightened up again.

"Well then. No time like the present." His soft gaze, which was normally full of youth and vibrancy, seemed to sober up. "Would you like to meet your first pokemon?"

Noelani nodded, smiling from ear to ear. Nikolai gave her hand another squeeze.

Lucas led them to the back of a small field. Inside, pokemon ran or lazed about by trees or springs of water. Noelani trembled once more, fingers itching away from his. But her attention returned to Lucas as he pulled three pokeballs from the pockets of his coat.

"Well then," He tossed them into the air. "Take your pick, young trainer!"

When the flashes of light faded, there sat the small green turtle, an orange monkey, and a blue penguin. The typical starters of Sinnoh, and for good reason. Each could be raised to weather the harsh weather and mountainsides. No matter which one you chose, they could all survive the route to Snowpoint. It was what made them so valuable.

Noelani knelt down to look at them, her eyes wide. "Wow…"

Nikolai left her to it. He wasn't going to influence this decision. Instead, he snapped a photo and sent it to Cynthia. Her immediate response made him laugh.

" _You just made this battle so much more tolerable."_

"Daddy!" Noelani raced up to him, the acorn turtle in her arms. "I wanna have Turtwig!"

Nikolai took another photo.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - A Tiny Milestone

"I remember when the Poketch was cuter by default," Nikolai mused as he attached the small, square watch to her smaller wrist.

Lucas snorted. "You mean more fragile. Those things broke worse than red cups. Barry broke the record for most replacements."

Okay, he couldn't deny that. "There's a reason for Holo Casters." Noelani, meanwhile, was admiring the large, expensive piece of technology. The screen was even lined in an ice-blue casing, her favorite color. She waved it eagerly at her new Turtwig, Percy, who wiggled the leaf on his head as if proud of her. For what, Nikolai couldn't say.

Lucas chortled. "This is a much later model, and has that Ranger alert system and the Black Flute app installed."

"Did they finally link them to the pokedex phone?" Nikolai fingered one of the pokeballs placid at his belt. Noelani was still placidly ignoring them, having stolen a watering can and was now watering her turtle. She looked so proud of herself for knowing how that Nikolai felt his eyes water.

You didn't want a kid, you said, a voice reminded him chidingly in his head.

And he still wasn't sure he did. Not like this.

He went over and rested his hand on Noel's head, ruffling her hair. SHe smiled up at him, gently bright and excited. "You ready to go," he asked her.

She nodded and squeezed his waist. "I'm ready! Let's get pokemon!"

Nikolai squeezed it back. "Then show me how it's done, new trainer!"

She pumped a fist with sudden, heavy enthusiasm and made to race away from him and out the door. "Slow, darling," he chided, making her pause. She turned back to pout at him. Then she went right out the door.

Nikolai's eye twitched. "Impertinent little nut, ain't she?"

"And it's all your fault too." Lucas' agreement was dripping with unsubtle glee and it really did make Nikolai want to deck the guy.

He laughed it off instead. "Yeah, it is. Here, lemme take her stuff."

* * *

Of course, because the Darius family had no sense of fear or boundaries, Noel was already advancing down the route with Percy in front. Both of them were looking straight ahead, with little attention on the sides. A youngster mistake, because your sides were more vulnerable than any other part of your body as a trainer. A back could be pressed against a tree, guarded by a companion or something, or even be covered by a protected backpack.

The sides were not the case. They had to be free to throw, fire, and use your hands. Also, armor was so outdated it was asking for a problem. Nikolai rubbed his bare wrists as he caught up.

"Noelani." He kept his voice firm. Not stern, but firm. He'd found the difference the first time the little girl had managed to get chalk on someone's ceiling fan. She stopped and turned, the makings of a pout trying to stay on her face.

"Daddy," she said, trying to adopt his own firm voice. "You're scaring the pokemon."

He could hear himself in that voice, in that sulky kind of childish annoyance, in that 'i know better than the adults kind of way that was only endearing to parents and even then still rankled. Just more politely. "You clomping around like that scares them more," he replied with a small grin, moving his weight as he walked after her. "Now, cover Percy's hearing spots." He did not walk into the taller, thicker sections of the grass. Instead, he stayed on the dirt road, releasing one of the six pokeballs at his own waist.

A feline rose from the flash of light, waving the leaf attached to the top of its head.

"Laika," Nikolai murmured. "Grasswhistle."

Laika's leaf tail flicked, creating a sharp whistling sound. It continued with each flick, slowly softening to a gentle, practiced rhythm. Nikolai himself fought back a yawn.

Noelani however just yawned, barely managing to keep her small palms over what were hopefully turtwig's ear holes. Her head drooped over and then the rest of her, only to smack awake when her forehead collided with Percy's shell.

Laika snorted, only to outright snigger as multiple thuds echoed across the tiny area. With another flick of her tail, the song faded away, leaving the low sounds of breathing prevalent in the air.

Nikolai couldn't help but grin at his daughter. To his surprise, she only pouted at him.

"I can do it!" She said in the fiercest little whisper. Then she stomped off to do so. Percy waddling after her. Soon, all that was visible of her was her bobbing hair.

Nikolai swallowed and stepped back a little further. Okay, his daughter might be ready but he sure wasn't. There wasn't much too bad here, but this was the place where babies were stolen from their parents. Early routes were notorious for that because how did you teach a ten-year-old about poaching? Especially since the little buggers wanted to be caught, to go on adventures and envied by their numerous siblings. Poor things didn't know any-

Noelani let out a crow of triumph. "Let him get ya Percy!"

Percy's response was something obedient, following a yelp of pain. The turtwig stumbled to the edge of the road, followed by a blue and black kitten. It leaped quickly, teeth bared, only for Percy to smack his forehead into the cat's face. It rolled and quickly caught itself, clinging tightly to the ground.

Noelani burst from the grass already covered in dead bits and dirt. There was a gleaming scratch on her right cheek.

"Tackle!" She shouted, blue eyes watery with tears. Percy pulled back and sprang forward, throwing himself into the small body and sending them both sprawling and kicking up dust. She jumped up and down. "One more Percy! You got 'em!"

Nikolai was really not sure if he enjoyed seeing this absurd amount of energy from his daughter or not. She spent so much time being tired.

"PokeBall," he reminded her softly. The shinx's ears twitched. Thankfully she did not pout and instead pulled one from her pocket and threw. It bounced off the Pokemon's head and opened. Then it was on the ground, wobbling back and forth under Percy's squinty glare.

It suddenly stopped, the light on the button going dark. Noelani squeaked with glee, bounding to pick it up.

"I did it," she sang. "I caught a pokemon! I caught him!"

"What about Percy?" Nikolai said lightly.

Noelani huffed. "Percy won! I caught him because Percy won!"

Percy let out an approving churr and ambled back over to them. Noelani looked at the shinx's ball. "Your name is Kaylee," she told it with a beaming grin.

For a moment, watching her, Nikolai wanted to believe she could take on the world.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four - There, In the Lights_

By the time night fell, Noelani's energy had depleted. Her arms drooped with her head and she struggled not to cough. Percy and Kaylee were not much better, trodding beside her and panting somewhat.

Laika flicked her tail in bemusement. She made a mew that Nikolai roughly translated as _kits_. Nikolai slowed his walk and knelt to look at Noel. "I can carry you to Jubilife." He kept his tone soft with concern. Her exhaustion was heightened with the sweat on her brow, the slight purple tinge under her eyes almost making his voice hitch.

She made herself shake her head, the force of the movement making her wince. Her brows knitted together. "We're almost there. Gonna make it. I gotta."

Nikolai almost scooped her up anyway, watching the way her eyes seemed to be starting to glaze over. Then he merely pressed his hand to her back and let her stumble on. She smiled a little, coughing again.

Nikolai mentally made a note. The route wasn't very long. If she hadn't been so jumpy, she would have probably made it all the way without trouble. That, however, coupled with nerves and the urge to battle any pokemon she could, would have worn any trainer out. He was honestly impressed. Still, they would have to take their time now. Celestic was a distance to travel after all, not even counting on traffic.

Jubilife, when they reached it, was a shock of light and sound. Father and daughter winced in unison and Noel wobbled and would have fallen entirely if it weren't for Nikolai's hand on her back. So she hit her knees instead.

Nikolai scooped her up with care for her head and snatched the two pokeballs at her waist to return her now slumped over pokemon.

 _A rookie set of mistakes._ He should have taken her back, then they could have rested and trained before continuing. He swallowed.

 _She's a trainer now,_ said the logical voice of Rune in his head. She needs to make her own mistakes.

His lower back itched. He ignored it, ignored the passerby whispering as he went towards the pokemon center at a low jog. He kept his head down as he walked. They looked like father and daughter he knew but it was all too easy to ignore that and just see 'man carrying unusually still little girl'. Laika hissed at them as he jogged, tail raised and prepared to fire.

"Don't, Laika," he murmured. "We're almost there." Her tail twitched and lowered reluctantly. "You'd hit me too in this crowd anyway."

She winked her one eye at him through the wide lens and stepped forward after him, lashing her tail at everyone who got too close.

The cool air of the Pokemon Center made Noelani open her eyes. "We're here?"

"Yeah." He smiled down at her. "Wanna walk?"

"Mm." her eyes twinkled a little and obediently she curled up to be put down.

Nikolai did so, smiling despite himself at the pallor of her skin, at the way her eyes gleamed. Her mother's pride was blazing on her face and she would be so happy to see her at the League. She moved towards the counter. She peered just over it to see the nurse's smiling face

She glanced back to where her father was watching. Laika trotted over to rub her cheek against a pant leg, earning a delightful sound. Emboldened, Noel leaned on her toes and said in her clearest voice, "Hello ma'am, my name is Noelani and I am a trainer under the International Law 102 section three and my Pokemon need to be healed. They are very tired." She leaned back down on her feet and in the light she looked paler than ever. Still, she held her head up and was leaning just enough that he could catch her if needed.

The woman processed the provision slowly, which was good. That meant trainers of her condition were uncommon, that the possible attention was worth it so there weren't a lot of children trying this foolhardy idea, nor parents quite willing enough to let their still active children live out the commercialized dream.

Nikolai rubbed his neck, looking as away from the stares as humanly feasible.

The nurse however only smiled after a moment of realization and took her pokemon, the same as anyone else.

He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

* * *

Later, much later, after medicine and food and baths, Nikolai let his daughter chat eagerly at her mother, babbling her day in rapid detail.

He, however, took his place on the nice sized bed and buried himself joyfully beneath the duvet. The warmth of the bed was wonderful after his late night reading. His pokemon had already eaten, of course, and most of them had hated pokemon centers since he had caught them. It was probably the smell. Or the fact that he himself tended to skid on out of them as soon as possible. Conditioning was a lot more prevalent than he had imagined it could be. Whatever. It didn't matter. Laika laid above his head, comfortable as she would be. She had been raised in a lab, after all.

He heard the bed squeak a little as Kaylee the Shinx landed on it and dug her claws in. "Careful you, I pay for damages," he grumbled. She mewed at him with affront. "Hey, I'm a top dog here, I call shots like that." He didn't really mind ultimately. Still. The little thing couldn't just think no one noticed, could she? Well, she was a young kitten, full of herself.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Nikolai felt his heart slam into the left side of his ribs, then his right, before he heard a rustle of the comforter. Soon, his daughter's slightly chill hand wrapped around his wrist.

NNikolaimade himself relax, shoulders falling from their jagged hunch. "All done?"

She nodded. "Took my shot."

"Atta girl." He wanted to ruffle her hair, but that really wasn't good enough. He looped his arms around her instead, drawing her close. Kaylee the shinx gave up from where ever she was, and settled by the foot of the bed.

"Where's tomorrow?"

"Heading for Oreburgh," he replied, yawning into her hair.

He felt her nod. "Can I fight?"

Nikoiai hesitated. Then, he nodded. "If you wanna rely on Percy."

"Mm."

All these firsts. All so fast.

"Well, we've gotta sleep first," he said, mostly to calm himself down.

Noelani didn't answer. She was already snoring.

Nikolai laughed and took another photo, without the flash.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five - Claustrophobia_

The night was almost perfectly peaceful. But then, Noel wouldn't remember much of her sweating through her clothes. At least, Nikolai hoped that she wouldn't. She still was reluctant to walk after dressing herself and settled for merely poking at her legs. He brushed her hair into braids, easy and harmless, earning a meager smile.

There wouldn't be much progress today, he assumed.

The pokemon, being the epitome of health, acted otherwise. They were refreshed from the night in their pokeball nests and were moving about. Kaylee was bounding around much faster than Percy but that was presumably normal for a turtwig and a shinx.

"Wanna keep going today?" He asked Noel, coaxing a warm piece of bread into her hands. "Or stay here and train? Mt. Coronet's not going anywhere."

Honestly, he'd rather just keep her in bed. Was that the right thing to do? Was it even the right thing to want? He worried his lip as she took a cautious bite.

Noelani dipped her head as she slowly chewed. She shut her eyes sleepily before opening them again. "Mm… I wanna go to Oreburgh and find a stone."

"What kind of stone?" He smiled at her, handing her an ice water next.

"A pretty stone for Mama's togekiss." She sipped through the bendy straw. "Will it mess up our journey?

Nikolai patted her on the head. "Well, we would have to go to Eterna to get a mining kit, not Oreburgh, but the gym leader might have a nice stone for us to find. What do you say?"

Noelani nodded, clinging to his hand.

"Think you'll be able to go most of the way?"

For a moment, Noel hesitated. Then, she screwed up her face and nodded.

Nikolai's smile tightened but he didn't disagree with her. Instead, he helped her off the bed. "Then let's show them what we can do."

She smiled and managed a little bounce.

He would take that.

* * *

The cave route between Jubilife and Oreburgh made Nikolai's skin crawl.

Despite his biggest asset in height being his white hair first thing in the morning, Nikolai found himself easily feeling the walls and ceilings close in like the crowds of Goldenrod and Rustboro and Sunyshore all wrapped up into one. It was all too easy for him to look around and imagine it and promptly consider losing his poffins. So he had twice the reason to book it through that tiny cave.

But Nikolai! You invisible weirdo reading over someone's shoulder would say! You're heading into a mountain! It's full of caves. Yes, yes it is, but there weren't just caves. There were sources of water and all sorts of pokemon and ways to escape a cave in. A mountain range like Coronet had multiple exits. Surely that would make a difference! It had for him before. But then again he had been much younger and properly distracted.

So for her sake and his, he was booking it through here as quickly as possible. It wasn't like there was much of any value here aside from a few stones and a TM or two.

Also, and as he had forgotten, a _whole lot of zubat._

After the second flock of them, Nikolai proceeded to give up and nearly throw Noelani on his back in an attempt to speed up their escape. During that process he threw a pokeball, all pretense forgotten. A large orange mouse rose into the air, sitting on its tail and staring irritably at the multitude of screeching bats.

"Thunder Wave," Nikolai ordered, feeling Noelani shivering on his back. Zubat hordes tended to be troublesome at best, but no one had seen what would happen if the bat poison mixed with the blood of a victim of Reversal Flu and he never wanted to see that.

Either Tora agreed or hated flying types much more than was probably necessary as the resulting attack was less of a thunder wave and more of a slightly less powerful thunderbolt. Each small body thudding to the floor made Noel flinch.

Nikolai however, couldn't take any time to comfort her, focusing instead on getting out of here before he stopped breathing properly. That ceiling was much closer than it had been a few seconds ago.

Kaylee barked at the Raichu, who only did a strange gesture with his paw, chubby white cheeks sparking with amusement at the sight. The shinx returned the movement, though this was more with annoyance than anything, and then leaped from the ground to climb him. Then. she flung herself into the remaining cloud, electricity bursting from her body to send each zubat drooping to the ground.

Noel made a face. "I didn't tell her to do that," she said, sounding somewhere between offended and afraid. The tremble in her voice was leaning towards fear though.

"She was pretty temperamental when you caught her," Nikolai said, trying not to smile or worse, smack the little kitten for being what it was: a baby predator. "She woke up rather quickly from Laikas Grasswhistle. Also, based on the strength of her legs, she's already a relatively practiced hunter."

Noel's breathing slowed a little. "So… so this is normal?"

"In a-" He caught himself before his voice would tremble. "In a cave full of poison bats? It's essential. We can talk to her in Oreburgh."

Feeling Noelani nod, he shifted to move away from the mess. Then she twitched her hand and threw a PokeBall. (He had totally missed her pulling it out like an idiot.) One of the tiny zubat went spiraling into it and unsurprisingly did not move. Nikolai winced and stooped to pick it up.

"Really?" he couldn't help but ask once they were both secure and he had no reason to not bolt the hell out of there. Tora flew beside him, occasionally zapping more stupid bats out of the way as he went. Kaylee raced after them, growling with irritation. Then again, the kitten's legs were still young. They weren't used to the kind of speed of a grown human's stride, particularly one that did not want to be here! Expressly!

He still had to be careful not to jostle Noel on his back, but he was getting the feeling she wasn't even paying attention anymore, cradling his neck with her spindly arms.

"You okay?" he asked her, keeping his voice as soft as possible. She nodded a little.

"My legs are asleep," she said and for a moment, Nikolai could hear the bead of strength in his daughter's voice. "But I'm not hot or anything, Daddy. Not right now."

"No throat tickle?"

"Huh-uh."

"Good." He kept his voice firm. "Great."

They were almost there.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six - Underground_

It took very little for Nikolai to remember being Noelani's age. It just took a few key phrases including the word freak and the sound of a bell to forget about it. Which wasn't so much a phrase as a, oh what did Cynthia's mother's books call it… a trigger mechanism, or something? Whatever it was, it was very good at making him feel smaller than he already was.

His fingers would always reflexively draw for a pokeball at the very thought, breathing quieter than normal, body coiling until he felt like a permanently tied up spring. Then his little girl would turn over in her sleep. He would uncoil and move up beside her, all those dusty old feelings replaced with a single question:

 _Is she breathing? Is she breathing?_

Sometimes he could hear it. Sometimes he couldn't.

This morning, he could, barely over the sound of his own rapidly screeching heart. He listened to it for a solid hour, until his daughter opened her eyes and sat up on her own. She looked down at him, watery blue eyes seeming to devour every centimeter of his still face. She looked so solemn and old.

Perhaps it was out of the seriousness of the moment, but Nikolai responded to this heavy scrutiny with a poke to her nose. Her face immediately scrunched, pouting more like she had sucked on a lemon. He laughed, releasing a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"Let's get breakfast," he said and she nodded, too excited to speak.

* * *

With another small, but excited roar, Kaylee lunged for her opponent. Skylar the Zubat dodged with ease, none of the ease of inside the cave of course, but he was fast enough with the open wind helping him along. Each failed snap of her jaws made Kaylee twitch with anger. She bunched her paws up and leaped again, jaws glowing with what one day would be a real Thunder Fang but for now, puttered out as she smacked into the dirt.

Noel's face twisted with fear. "You okay, Kaylee?" That fall had nearly crunched teeth in. Kaylee sat up and grunted appeasement, turning back to face her opponent with her rump in the air. That let Noel let out a breath of air in relief. "Okay, Skylar, keep dodging! Then Supersonic! Kaylee you gotta hit him once!"

Percy was running around the two of them as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. Oreburgh soil was tough, so running on it was easy so long as you didn't crumble or crater it. He could learn a little speed before he evolved into a grotle and then deal with staying still. He had to learn how to counter speed.

Noel kept shouting out orders, basic commands that only she really understood the importance of. But even if those moments didn't go well, she was eager all the same. Satisfied she was suitably occupied (and watched, he had a pokemon watching for mistakes!), Nikolai sat down on another book and started to read.

At some point in the middle of his pages, a furry white and horned head planted itself on the worn pages, followed by his daughter's curious gaze.

"Daddy?"

Nikolai blinked, rubbing his eyes. "Yes, Noel?"

She was settled on the little saddle his parents had gotten for Alma, his Absol, when he had broken both of his legs in the Lavaridge hot spring. "I'm hungry. Can we go get lunch?"

"Lunch?" He checked his Poketch. The mail icon sat on screen, full color and everything. Lucas had insisted, the pushy little brat. "Is it already that time?" She gave a him an unimpressed look in reply and he beamed at her. "Sorry, sorry. Let's get something to eat. Sweet potato fries?"

Noel pouted. "No. Real food."

"Darling, that is real food." He sat up and wiped the dirt from his pants. "Come on, I know just the place."

He did, or rather, he knew the place he was going. Oreburgh was best known for its stone ovens. The best cauliflower pizza were usually made here. That wasn't the point. That was just a bonus.

"Come on, return everyone but-" He paused to think about it. "-Skylar. He needs to be used to crowds and the sunlight. You won't get much travel done at night. When we get to city limits, keep his pokeball close, okay?"

Noel nodded and turned to look up at her pokemon. "You heard daddy! Return!" After only Skylar remained, she made a face. "I would have left out Kaylee though…"

Nikolai whistled for Alma, who laid down long enough for Noel to climb off. "Why?"

Noelani trotted after him, one hand safely nestled in Alma's fur. "Because she's less-scary looking!"

Nikolai tried very hard not to smile, keeping an eye on his stride. "Right now she is. Eventually, she'll be a full grown luxray, too big for you to handle. If you were a trainer on your own, what would that mean if she decided someone's starly looked good?"

Noelani thought hard about this. "That I am a poor trainer whose pokemon don't listen!" She paused for air. "That I don't have enough badges and I am dan-ger-ous."

Nikolai nodded, gesturing to Alma, who seemed unamused at being the sudden center of attention. "That's right."

"Papa, I'm too young for badges," she pointed out, deflating even as she said the words. Ten was when you could start earning badges because you were supposed to leave home, improve yourself, then come back for further education. Some students got lucky enough to have their journeys funded.

"You won't be eventually,"

She didn't say anything at first. Then she mumbled. "You don't know that."

NIkolai smiled through his heart in his throat. "No one knows that. I just believe it's possible."

Noelani kicked a loose rock with her toes. "Like Arceus?"

"Mm. Pretty much." He pushed the pizzeria's door open. "Faith in something is sometimes all we have, even when it's bad. You know?"

He didn't ask her to believe it. He wasn't going to try. Instead, he pointed to the blond woman dressed up in casual clothes, earning stare after stare from a few starstruck fools.

It was worth it to see Noelani's sorrow swell into utter joy. It was worth the flashing of cameras from Holo Casters just to hear Noelani yell, "Mama" at Cynthia from the top of her lungs and to see all that happiness in one place.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven - Something Nostalgic_

If Nikolai had been famous, the battle between him and Cynthia would have been one to remember.

It wasn't like Dawn, who specifically had sought out every way she could sweep the Elite Four and Champion with ease, with the team that had taken out and captured Giratina no less. He had seen her do it from the arena stands, seen the way that the Elite Four matches were nothing more than sweeps, violent gestures of calculated destruction to Cynthia, the real test of the trade. Not that Cynthia hadn't put up a good fight against Dawn, even he wasn't so conceited as to deny that. Dawn, however, had looked bored. Like there was something else waiting for her after this, something more valuable.

She had been kind to her pokemon, of course, showering them with items and making them feel loved. But her pokemon were still meant to make it an easy fight,a shattering of everything Cynthia stood for. That was the only way to really beat an opponent, violence or not.

She had managed to succeed, but only in body. Cynthia's pride was only cracked, not ground to dust. She respected Dawn today, but would have respected her more if she had listened later on.

He after all, had been champion for a few days, not her. But no one had listened to it, not even Dawn.

Was Nikolai bitter about that? Maybe a little. He hadn't seen Dawn since she had left to go adventure, leaving the burden on her senior authority. No closure was offered to him.

But that was irrelevant. He could still remember his challenge underneath his fingertips, the way his pokeballs had trembled in his hands. He remembered the way she had laughed, the way she had smiled.

He hoped Noelani could live to experience that herself someday.

* * *

"Well I guess we can't go back there anymore."

Cynthia smiled as she spoke, feeding her togekiss pieces of grepa from her salad. Noel nodded eagerly, bouncing after her and probably not even understanding what she was considering. Still, Nikolai couldn't help his own smile.

"More like the other way around," he said, sliding his fingers under his sandwich. "I don't think that diner's been that packed since my dad took a crack at pokemon training."

Cynthia giggled. Aesthetically, it was a pleasing sound. "And never was it that exciting yes." She looked at their Noel, who stared right back, watery eyes and brilliant hope resting there. Maybe Cyn's reignited her, he thought, smile threatening to crack.

"Hey, christmas tree, show her your mates," Nikolai said before he could stop himself. It was twice as worth it because his daughter pouted so deep there were crevices in her ears.

"I'm not a tree!" she protested, but released her pokemon anyway.

It was good, NIkolai knew. It was a good day, after a good morning. But his shoulders couldn't slump down fast enough, he could not relax enough.

Cynthia smiled wide and gestured to her togekiss to dance tantalizingly through the air ahead of Skylar. The bat screeched irritably but followed, if only to spare himself from Kaylee's dancing paws. "What a wonderful team," she exclaimed, leaning down to look at quiet, curious Percy. Said turtwig was trying to look at Cynthia from behind his master's spindly legs. Cynthia giggled again. "Don't worry, little one. That's my daughter you're shielding yourself with."

Percy blinked up at Cynthia, then at Noel. Nervously, he shuffled over to her, only to chuff and churr at the affectionate touches from her long, slender, well-practiced fingers.

Noel knelt. "How'd ya do that, mama?"

Cynthia demonstrated and Noel's watery eyes squinted, careful to imitate. NIkolai watched his family, his unconventional family. Nausea roiled in his gut at the sight of both of those smiles, public and carefree. He resisted the urge to look for a camera, for something other than him to ruin this.

"I thought you were gay," whispered thoughtfully in his brain.

Nikolai ignored the thought and reached for a cigarette he didn't carry around anymore. Awkwardly, he patted his pockets and felt his Holo Caster vibrating beneath his palm.

Giving the two of them one last look to make sure they were fine, Nikolai retreated behind a building a little and turned the annoying device on. "Hello?"

"Well, that's not the greeting I expected from you.." The dry, amused voice took on a laugh as a young man rose into view of the hologram screen, a rockruff in his arms, primly dressed and tweezed eyebrow raised. "I expected at least one swear word from you. Or five. Or a complaint that I was interrupting something."

Nikolai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Good to see you're still you, Jen. You were interrupting my time with my child and pseudo-girlfriend."

Jen snorted. "Oh behave. I'm here to help, you know."

"Is that what you say to your coworkers before you slap them upside the head with a syringe?" Jen Fondaw, his one unfortunate contact with medical training and a lot of friends in high places, was also very much a jerk. And an ex, but that one was besides the point. He was currently in something barely skirting the edges of legal too and it was nothing less than exasperating to keep in contact with him. It was also very necessary.

"I don't say anything to them other than 'sit still, shut up, do what you're told, and stop grimacing, it makes it worse, when I'm at that part of the job." Jen glanced at something out of sight. "Anyway, I was looking into the samples of Noel's blood you sent again."

"Last time, you said there was nothing." Nikolai bit his lip. "What changed?"

"A friend of mine let me do a comparison. Look, I'm not a scientist, which is actually what you need, but I know someone who might as well be and she's been taking a look."

"Is that that one girl you swear you will never date ever in life?" He was bantering, containing, controlling.

"If I'm going to date someone who can kill me, I'd at least let them be someone I haven't actually seen kill people," Jen replied, petting the pup in his arms. "I'm going to send you her number and what her guesses are. You're on the road still right?"

"We're looking for Arceus, Jen, not going backpacking through the Snowpoint hellholes."

"Right, right." He waved dismissively, setting down the rockruff. "She's doing fine for everything?"

"Aside from always tired, getting dizzy and some coughing fits, yeah, she's doing well."

"Good."

The sad part was that Jen meant it when he said that. It made it so difficult to be annoyed with him. The rest of him made up for it though, in spades. "Thanks Jen, means a lot."

It meant hope.


	8. Chapter 8

_Warning for discussion of death and discussion of past sex_

* * *

 _Chapter Eight - Temporaries_

Cynthia and Nikolai had never dated. Not in the traditional sense. They had talked after the championship, talked her through how to have an apprentice, especially one as fickle and young as Dawn. They had gone out to dinner and caught pokemon. She had shown him the ruins he had seen with his family once when he was small. It had only been propriety that had kept the two of them from doing anything untoward by those ruins, likely out of some cosmic kind of irony.

Well that and he was somewhat religious. It wasn't a good time.

He had to be kept a secret. Noelani had to be kept a secret. Not out of hate or fear (well there might have been on the manager's part for the many pinwheels and circles she'd had to circle around to get things worked out) of each other, but of everything else. And illness. Noelani was a victim of the child Champion's innocent mistakes, of the mother's lack of foresight. And he was the scum of the earth for daring to touch her in the first place.

Besides, Cynthia was a human being. She deserved her secrets as much as anyone.

He could tolerate being that secret, he thought.

But now that was over. They would be in the limelight now, once the rumors spread, once the news caught hold and clung. It was necessary, he knew. He even thought Noelani knew it deep down, that hiding her was a mistake. That she was someone to be proud of, come what may. And Cynthia had decided to show her that. Decided to give her something good. Also it would give her some more help that hiding it had avoided.

And now she was sleeping, or dozing, in his arms. Noel had gotten dizzy during her play, not a surprise. It was better not to take any chances, though, just in case. She was so small for a seven year old. Not fragile, exactly, but small. Small because something was hovering over her. Small from the weight of humans not leaving well enough alone.

"She's healthier than I thought she'd be today," Cynthia said after a long stretch of silence, during which Noelani had let out a little snore. He wasn't too sure if it was faked or not. "Nothing too bad since the krabby?"

He wanted to tell her no, wanted to rage at her that it was none of her business because of something that… wasn't even her fault. The rage deflated like a balloon. "Dizzy spells, droopier days, nothing the doctors don't know about, unfortunately. It's not as often as it could be. The exercise is doing her good."

Cynthia nodded, acknowledging his pause but not pulling on it, as Jen would have. Jen was a nosy git though, he didn't even count really. "I'm glad. I figured that would help but…"

"It's not delaying the inevitable," he finished. "No, of course not, but it's good. It's hopeful and fun. That's all that matters, that she has this, that she has _fun_."

"What if she…" Cynthia's brow furrowed and she looked at the sleeping lids of their little girl. They weren't old, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she had been twenty-two. He had been twenty-one. League seasoned, desperate for something that wasn't his disaster of a sixteenth year of existence. Or his eighteenth. Those were two very bad years practically back-to-back. But they'd been old in spirit, Cynthia in the same place she had stood since eleven years old and with a heavy pokedex. "What if she dies on your way, Lai-Lai?"

Nikolai swallowed his Adam's apple. "I…" He screwed his eyes shut as they entered the Pokemon Center, leading her to the shared rooms as he did. The lights weren't too bright, but his heart was a little too big now, all of a sudden. "I'll do what I can for her… and if that fails, I'll call you and we'll-"

He coughed on the rest of his sentence, on the rest of his feelings and they spewed out anyway in tears. "I don't know," he admitted through them, through him leaning on her the rest of the way, through Noel's sudden lack of snores. "I don't know, I don't _know_ , Cyn."

Her own silence meant she didn't either. And a sick tiny part of him was relieved he could say those words.

* * *

Cynthia was not a person of carnal pleasures. He had been for a time, out of curiosity mostly, out of that desire to understand himself that his mother had planted into him at a very young age. It was the only way to even start having mental health, she had impressed upon him many times. You have to know what is you and what is someone else. You have to know where you are and how. And so he had done as she had asked.

Simply put, it wasn't pretty. Sex wasn't either, but was it supposed to be? He couldn't tell you.

But she wasn't too fond of it. During her pregnancy it had been encouraged, and thus, being twenty something and not really in need to go out and work for a living they _had_ , but afterwards, it wasn't a thing to think about. The idea hardly came to him, and he knew it almost never came to her, so it didn't happen. Also there was a small child in the house and having the talk wouldn't make interruptions any less awkward.

So it was very unsurprising for Cynthia to be sitting on his bed, in her casual pajamas, and with her hair decs resting in Noel's own messy white as the little girl slept in hers. Feeling his gaze, she looked up at him. "What?"

"You," he said, admittedly struck a little dumb. "I thought you'd go home."

"The league?" She snorted. "Dawn has been back for three days. They've decided to sink their claws in and not let go. She gets to observe Elite Four replacements."

"Oh. Right. Bertha's retiring." He sat down beside her, chuckling at the way Noel's pokemon had taken to curling around her. "Weird."

"Her knees are starting to give." She sighed. "So they need a type specialization."

"Oh." It wasn't required, but type specialization was preferred for most gyms and elites because it taught strategy. You had to learn how to get past your weaknesses through experience.

Cynthia smiled at him very gently and gestured for him to lay down. Nikolai obeyed, if only to avoid talking about what ifs again, if only to appreciate everything that he had and then some. Tomorrow, they could confront everything.

Tomorrow, he would read Jen's email.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine - Secret Angels_

Noel managed to stay quiet until they were heading towards the bike route to Eterna or Hearthome, not even questioning why her parents wanted to get up before dawn and leave Oreburgh. She'd likely figured that reporters and the like were nothing good and doing whatever it took to get away from them was well worth the avoidance.

Besides, she got a chance to run about with her pokemon, and maybe, maybe catch another one.

"Go, go!" she called softly in the pre-sunrise sky. "You can do it Skylar, dive on Percy."

Percy didn't even bother to dodge, only sent a single sharp leaf in the bat's direction. Kaylee leaped after it struck, pouncing on Percy, who again didn't bother to dodge. His stubby feet were slowing down, Nikolai absentmindedly noted. The email was still sitting in his inbox, unopened. He pulled out the chipped Holo Caster, looking at it with a wary eye The other was still on Noelani.

" _Jen_ messaged you?" Cynthia inquired, ever so politely. Nikolai pretended his eye didn't twitch. He didn't have many contacts, he knew. Part of the trade of being an asshole teenager. No one wanted to talk to you even if you proved you weren't an asshole adult. No one worth dealing with anyway.

"He did. He said someone was helping look at Noel's blood."

"Did they find something?" Cynthia sounded a little too hopeful. Not a cure, surely, that was too much to ask, but an idea. Something. Something to make up for the small children that had already died and still could. Maybe he was just projecting on her again.

"He thinks so." With trepidation, he clicked the email open. Out popped a long set of documents. Immediately, Nikolai groaned. "I need my computer."

Which he had with him. One of the only pieces of technology he didn't despise on principle was the computer in all of its forms. A tablet didn't work as well, but this was likely going to be too much text for his old phone thing to process. He skimmed the multiple attachments until the main message finally showed up in view.

"To a Mister Darius," he read, before laughing to himself. Cynthia also giggled because him being _mister_ in anything was still wrong in any universe. "I would prefer to keep my name anonymous for the moment due to certain circumstances. However, I have been informed that a loved one is suffering from the so called "Reversal Flu", a bug due to the effects of the widening portal between the earth and the distortion world. Your daughter is not the first and very sadly, it is likely she will not be the last."

"Morbid, aren't they?" Cynthia muttered.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Noelani called. "Can I go into the cave?" They looked up to see her pointing inside of Mount Coronet. "I'm gonna go in and find Arcy!"

"Not without Garchomp you won't," Cynthia told her, releasing said behemoth and his sharp everything. None of said sharpness was directed at the little girl, however, and he rumbled his greeting, going after her as she ran into the mouth of the cave in pure innocence. No fear, and none from her pokemon either.

Nikolai, despite himself, let out a sound of relief once she was inside but supervised. Cynthia pretended to look scolding. "Continue," she said quickly. "Before we can't."

He nodded. "Reversal Flu is also common to elderly non-trainers, likely due to their lack of exercise.' Yes, yes I know this-" He resisted the urge to skim and then paused, "As well as extended contact with a Ghost type." He couldn't help but glance in Cynthia's bag, where a certain spirit rested. He swallowed, unable to look at her.

"That, however, is where there is a potential for if not a vaccine, then perhaps an extended delay. Reversal Flu comes from Giratina. Specifically, if I may offer a guess, its eternally decomposing body. That is a dead dragon roaming about in a world after all. My current guess, which will apply to you, is that exposure to a ghost-type pokemon may siphon out said essence from the body in the least harmful way. It is not a cure, mind you, only an experiment. Therefore, I suggest you procure a rare Odd Keystone from the Underground."

* * *

Noel stared up at the caves, craning her small neck as high as she could. She could see the tunnels stealing away to who knows where. She grinned and balled up her fists. "Looks cool, huh, Percy?" The turtwig agreed with a grunt and she whistled to Skylar. "Get down from there, you silly!" Skylar screeched and obeyed, flying down to nestle in her hair like a strange hair ornament. She giggled again and then clapped a hand over her mouth.

Something clanged overhead. A few meters away, Garchomp rumbled with agitation and disinterest. She beamed over at her. "I'll be fine," she said, quieter now. Sound would echo in caves and stuff, her daddy had said so, and her daddy knew a lot! About a lot. Not _everything_ , but no one knew everything yet. "I'm just gonna look around."

Garchomp let out a harrumph, but let her do so.

The soft clanging noise rang out again, louder this time. Probably just a wild pokemon. She trotted over to look at the water, just to make sure. Kaylee and Percy went after her. Percy was slower now. It was probably because they were out of the sun. Or getting ready to evolve. She wasn't entirely sure.

Noelani sat down by the water, staring down into it with utter joy. It was so clear! The filter wasn't this clear! And there were finneon! Now if that clanging would just stop already, everything would be great.

Garchomp let out a snarl from behind her and Noelani blinked, using the water to see why.

That was when a giant bell fell smack onto her head.

She, as any child would, wailed loud enough to hurt her own ears until she hit the ground.

The last thing she heard was Kaylee snarling and the spark of electricity in a small space.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten - Trips and Falls_

Noelani came to with a plugged up nose and ringing ears. She immediately began to whine in pain, coughing and sneezing. This only caused more pain, but seeing as she didn't know what else she could do, she kept at it until she felt something not like snot and more like blood (and she was familiar with it at this point) came up her throat. She hurried to swallow the gross metal taste but ended up spitting it out anyway.

Then a cool cloth pressed over her forehead and down her face and beneath her chin and everything felt better immediately. It must have been daddy's hand. Grandma had once told her, over the phone, that love made even the worst things feel better even when they were too much. And even her worse stomach aches always became better when he helped.

Noelani had never been sure what too much felt like until very recently, so the statement always rang true.

"Daddy," she mumbled, unable to stop herself from guessing.

"Yes, little tree." His voice was hoarse. He'd probably yelled at her pokemon, or at something or someone. They never deserved it…. Well okay no, some people did. She knew some people did. "We're here."

 _Mama's here?_ She felt the surprise tickle her fingers and nose. "I'm… I'm okay, Daddy… just tingly…" She didn't mean to lie, just he sounded hurt too. She couldn't hurt him more.

"A chingling hit you on the head," he said in that still soft voice full of warmth and joy and love, so much like the one his own daddy had. "And a buizel swam you back to shore. It's lucky that all you are is tingly."

Well, no wonder everything hurt a bit. "Head does hurt," she admitted, still not opening her eyes. Something told her doing that would make it all a lot worse. "A little less everywhere."

"Mm." He smoothed her hair. "You don't have a concussion, so it's okay for you to go back to sleep."

"How do you know?"

"Kane made sure of it."

"Oh…" Well if her daddy's lucario said it was okay, then it really was okay. She relaxed into what she thought was a bed and soon forgot that she'd been awake at all.

Meanwhile, Nikolai let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Then he wiped his daughter's nose free of blood. A fit while unconscious was still a _fit_ , but for all things she seemed perfectly healthy. Well, healthier. The outside air and adventure was doing something.

Not enough, but something.

"Back to sleep?"

Cynthia had been staring at the emails on his computer, looking fully prepared to glare holes into the dim screen of his feeble computer. "Peacefully," he replied, stroking the sweaty hair. "It really must have been the chingling then. Find any evidence of psychic energy affecting reversal fever?"

"Not anywhere except the tabloids so far."

"And you really can't convince Dawn to let us borrow and release Giratina?" Nikolai heard the whine in his voice and scoffed at it on the inside.

"If only." There was a note of disdain in Cynthia's voice so palpable and painful there was no way anyone could miss it. "Why did I think that was a good idea again?"

"Youthful optimism?" Nikolai offered. "Multitudes of legends? Red?"

"It was definitely Red and his Birds."

They laughed, quietly, so quietly.

"We'll go back through the cave and release the chingling tomorrow if she doesn't want it." Nikolai decided, finally taking pity on Cynthia and snatching his computer back. Just as he did, however, a voice call notification flickered on screen.

The name read, quite flatly, Amber Fuji.

" _That's_ Jen's friend." Cynthia failed to disguise the mix of interest and baffled disgust. "The mercenary?"

"He's in the same group, to be fair," Nikolai offered as he turned on the call.

"He's also international police with Anabel."

"Formerly."

"Still."

There as a cough from Nikolai's crackling phone speakers, high and somewhat giddy. "If the turtledoves are done vocally copulating now, I'd like to make a quick addition to my notes."

Nikolai didn't even try to speak, only let his face flush a terrible red all the way to the roots of his hair.

Cynthia, damn her, laughed. She was always appeased by good humor. "Go on then, if you don't mind. Since we're not introducing ourselves?"

"It's better that we don't," the voice said with good cheer and the unseeing avatar of two dancing meowstic on screen. "I don't want to get you all in the things I'm mixed up in. Well, not too far anyway." She giggled this time and the sound was just sharp enough to cut. "Anyway, I wanted to add quickly to my notes about spiritomb. There's a legend in Kalos, of all places, that I thought someone might find interesting."

Both of them looked at each other. Cynthia's face contorted with discomfort. She had never been fond of Kalos, and he'd yet to figure out why.

Still, he'd take anything at this point. "All right," he said, forcing his voice not to waver. "Let's hear what you've got."

If either of them heard the sheets rustle, they did not react. They definitely didn't notice Noel's eyes opening, watery blue and fixated on them.

When they looked back however, her eyes were painlessly shut and she was breathing deep and slow.

Nikolai, replaying Amber's last words over and over in his head, forgot how well she could pretend to sleep.

* * *

"I want to fight a Gym!"

Voice loud and crisp and clear, it was almost too loud and definitely way too early in the morning for Noel to be shouting like this. Or maybe Nikolai thought it was shouting because she was sitting on his chest with her bony knees mercilessly dug into his stomach. He squinted at her with bleary eyes and grumbled, "What?"

"I wanna go to a Gym!" Noelani said again, just as loud, just as piercing. "I wanna fight a leader! Please daddy!"

Cynthia snored and Nikolai briefly reflected on his lot in life. "Why?" he decided to ask. The least he could do is hear her out.

She sat up straight ,nose as high in the air as she could get it. "Because I am a Pokemon trainer. And Pokemon trainers go to gyms! And win! You did it, mommy did it, of course _I_ can do it."

Nikolai almost laughed. Instead, he pulled her down into a hug. "Can we get more sleep first?"

She squirmed as if to defy him, but Laika leaped onto the bed and mewed in her ear. He still felt her pout against his neck. "I guess."

Nikolai snored his approval of this idea.


End file.
